Occupy Central's bid to set up company rejected
Ruling means that activists planning to disrupt business zone will not be able to open their own bank account when collecting donations
Hong Kong's Companies Registry turned down a bid by Occupy Central to register as a company, something one person familiar with the matter compared to an application by a "triad society".
Dr Chan Kin-man, an organiser of the plan to block traffic in Central to fight for genuine universal suffrage, suggested the decision sought to hamper Occupy's ability to raise funds. He said they had been using an ally group's bank account to collect donations so far.
Chan said Occupy Central had filed a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman and would not rule out seeking a judicial review to challenge the Companies Registry's decision.
Chan and several other organisers filed their application with the Companies Registry a year ago, hoping to set up a company named OCLP Limited. The initials refer to the campaign's full name: Occupy Central with Love and Peace.
But a person familiar with the matter said the Companies Registry had decided recently to reject that application, adding the group would be officially informed in the next two days.
"The department notes [organisers] had publicly declared that the movement planned to launch unlawful actions [to back] what they call the goal of achieving genuine universal suffrage," the person said.